


Scars Beneath the Surface

by Fighting4Fandoms



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Backstory, Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Gen, Grace is a cinnamon roll, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 22:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18583633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fighting4Fandoms/pseuds/Fighting4Fandoms
Summary: A story of how Diego got his scar... includes Reginald's 'amazing' parenting techniques





	Scars Beneath the Surface

Eudora Patch was quite an observant person. 

She was a detective, it was kind of part of her job description. So when she met Diego Hargreeves back in the police academy she knew there was something different about him. He did try to hide who he was but it was a difficult task considering who he was. Almost everyone knew who he was and Eudora noticed that it kind of bothered him. 

Everyone made their own assumptions about him, at first she did too but one thing he didn't know about her was that she was a bit of a fan of the Umbrella Academy... and he was always her favorite. There was something about him that she couldn't quite place her finger on. 

*

They hadn't moved in together technically and whilst Diego was getting his own place sorted out she offered him a place to sleep at her own apartment. They'd been together for a few months now but there was still so much about him that remained uncovered and everything he had told her pretty much everyone in the city all knew. 

One evening, they were lying in bed and Eudora hesitantly stroked her finger along the long scar that was on the side of Diego's face. He didn't pull away from  her so she stroked each and every scar that were carved into his head. 

"How did you get your scars?" She asked softly, worry lightly laced into her words. 

Diego paused, he bit his lip and spoke "Usual way, training with my knives." 

"So," She gulped, "what would happen if someone threw a knife at you? Like, could you bend it out of your way?" 

Diego raised an eyebrow at her, he had to admire her curiosity, "Well, my father asked me the same question."

*

_"Focus Number Two."_

_Diego gulped at his father's demanding words. He didn't dare speak, whenever he spoke when he was nervous he stuttered. Reginald hated his stutter._

_"Again."_

_Diego threw the knife and curved it so it hit the bulls-eye, he managed to get ten in a row. Reginald nodded in approval._

_Diego went to retrieve his knives. Reginald wrote down his progress into the red notebook. Diego picked up the knives and placed them back onto the table._

_"Number Two." Reginald called out. Diego spun around and waited for Reginald to continue. "We're going to try something else."_

_Diego nodded. He went to pick up one of his knives. Reginald slapped it out of his hands. "You won't be needing those Number Two."_

_Diego's face spoke confusion but he didn't question the authority._

_"Number Two, what would happen if a knife was thrown at you? Would you be able to block it?"_

_Diego gulped, he didn't know._

_"Well?" Reginald barked._

_Diego flinched, "I-I d-don't know."_

_"Cease the stuttering, unless you learn to speak properly then don't speak at all." Reginald snatched the knife away from Diego and headed to the opposite side of the room._

_Diego gulped. He really hoped that he could do this... he already had a pretty good theory as to what his father had in store for him. He waited._

 

_Reginald readied the knife, "Focus Number Two."_

_Diego nodded. He could do this. He could do this. He could... do ... this._

_Reginald threw the knife. Diego put the direction, of where he wanted the knife to go, into his mind._

_He closed his eyes then felt a pierce in the side of his head, then something trickle down his neck and the side of his face. He opened his eyes and winced at the pain, Diego raised a trembling hand and felt the slash in the side of his head._

_Reginald watched as the knife hit the wall behind Number Two's head. He watched as Number Two fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud with blood pouring from the wound he had inflicted. He sighed, it seemed his theory was out of the window._

_He called for Grace who came rushing in with the medical supplies in her hands. The sound of her heels filled the training room. He left the room with the vision of blood still locked inside of his mind._

_*_

_"Oh Diego, let's have a look at that shall we?" Grace asked as she helped Diego sit up. She noted on the paleness of his complexion and the blood that stained the side of his head and some of his face._

_"Mom?" Diego weakly asked._

_She nodded, smiling sweetly at him. "It's me, dear." She wiped the blood away from his face and wiped his tears from his eyes. "Let's see, oh it's quite deep."_

_She remarked, gently touching the slash on his head. She cleaned the blood from it and applied a large plaster on it._

_"We can take it off later." She encouraged, smiling at him._

_Diego sniffled, "Will it leave a scar?"_

_She nodded sadly, "I'm afraid so."_

_Diego's bottom lip trembled, "D-Dad's angry at m-me. I tried to c-curve it but I c-couldn't."_

_Grace finished cleaning the wound and then tilted his chin up, "Don't blame yourself Diego, it's not your fault. You simply did as he asked."_

_Diego nodded. "Thanks Mom."_

_*_

Eudora wiped the tear from his eye as Diego told her what happened that day. 

"Your dad was really something."  
Diego nodded in agreement, "You're not wrong there." 

"Did he ever do anything like that again?" 

"No." Diego lied. 

Eudora sighed, "That's good I guess but how come you've never told me that before?" 

"Because it's embarrassing." Diego explained. "He's never looked at me the same way again." 

"Maybe he felt guilty about what he did."

Diego shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. I'll never know though, my father isn't exactly the most easiest person to understand."

Eudora put her head against his chest, "Okay, but if you ever need to tell me anything I'll be right here."

"You got it." Diego smirked as she fell asleep against him. When she had fell completely asleep, Diego raised his hand and scoured over the scar on the side of his head, it was such a big scar but not as big as the ones that were underneath the surface. Still, although his family was dysfunctional and not one of the best families in the world, they were his and his alone. 

That would be with him until the day he died. 


End file.
